Tuesday, March 15, 2011

My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard

I love healthy smoothies, sure. But you know what I like even better? Milkshakes. Creamy, dessert-y milkshakes. When I read the ingredients for the Cake Batter Milkshake on Chocolate-Covered Katie's blog last week, I thought it sounded more like a smoothie. As usual for Katie, her recipe was ultra-healthy. But something about calling a smoothie a milkshake made it seem oh-so-much more appealing. Oh, and the sprinkles didn't hurt either:

This decadent milkshake is made from frozen banana, extra-virgin coconut oil, soymilk, vanilla extract, and sprinkles. Other than the sprinkles, it's the stuff I'd normally include in my pre-workout smoothie. But it tasted magical, just like dessert.

To up the milkshake's junk foodiness, I added a giant blob of Soy Whip. I realize the above blob doesn't look giant, but I added way more after the shot. Guilty! Anyway, you must try Katie's recipe. It's super-easy, healthy, and it was the perfect dose of energy before hitting the gym after work.

Confession: The Soy Whip — from the whippable box — expired in May 2010. The box had been sitting in my fridge for a long while! But it was unopened, and it didn't smell funny or look weird. So I ate it anyway. I typically eat food way past the expiration date so long as it looks normal.

The date on the box is really just the "sell-by" date, unless it says otherwise. Retailers *have* to take products off the shelf once they reach this date for legal purposes, but that doesn't mean that the products themselves have gone bad. Working in the grocery business for years, I have had my share of items left on the "free table" in the workers-only break room and I have never gotten sick. I agree with others - if it smells okay, tastes okay, looks okay then its probably safe ;)

I love you, Bianca! And not just because you made a mean-lookin' milkshake, but because of your easygoing approach to expired food.

I'm guilty of eating expired food too... as long as it looks/smells/tastes ok. Obviously I TRY to eat everything before it expires, but sometimes I get grab-happy in the store and buy too much to consume before it "goes bad" or forget about something in the cabinet. And food is expensive; I don't wanna throw it out if I do't have to! Once, when I was working at a food pantry, I had to throw out an entire case of expired Luna Bars. I was soooo tempted to take them home for myself! Oh, and the other day, I actually convinced a store clerk to give me a jar of vegan mayo that already expired. They were going to throw it out, and it was the last one they had!

Anyways, I can sum up this longest-ever comment in three words: You are awesome! :)

I make it a policy to only buy what I can eat in week so nothing ever goes bad or spoils. I definitely do not eat anything after its exiration date. I figure they put it on there for a reason.Or maybe I'm just anal. :)

Yummy looking shake!Expiration dates....I used to go by those date faithfully, but that's changed some in the last couple of years. I'm not as strict with those dates as I used to be. :o) I use the smell and look weird factor most of the time.

As long as it don't smell weird, have a slimy film, or is covered in mold, I'll probably eat it. I hate wasting food, and some stuff like limp celery can be salvaged. As for canned goods, they've been sealed for a long time, so I'll open them up and check them out before I make a decision. :)

The only exception is leafy greens. If they're slimy I'll through them out. You can get food poisoning real easy from them.

However, I saw Katie's Cake Batter milkshake, and I definitely think I'll be having one of them tomorrow! Yours looks just as tasty!

I'd call that a milkshake ONLY because of the fat the coconut oil adds to the whole thing.I definitely eat things past the expiration date since a lot of companies date things as much as a year before they'll expire just to be safe. I dont' care-i just hate to throw stuff away :)

I'm totally with you on the expiration dates, especially on something shelf-stable and aseptically sealed! As others have mentioned, I think those dates are mostly for liability purposes. A common sense inspection and a good sniff test usually work wonders.

Such a cute title! I'm always looking for new shake 're-mixes.' As for expired food, I have always been super scared since my hospitalization of food poisoning (pre vegan days on red meat). Since then I feel like my stomach is more sensitive to that stuff.

My name is Bianca ...

About Me

I'm a 9-year vegan, 19-year vegetarian from the Mid-South, not too far from the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. And that means cornbread, butter beans, and collard greens.
These days, I live in Memphis. Check out my cookbook — Cookin' Crunk. It's filled with yummilicious veganized soul food and country classics.